Alex woke with a start. He looked around his small room and only saw Sam’s sleeping form on the cot in the corner. His heart was beating as if he’d just gone for a run. Val, who had been curled up on his chest sleeping, made an alarmed sound in his mind.
“Danger!? Where?”
Taking a few deep breaths, he put a hand to his head and closed his eyes.
Nightmare? Damn, even if we kill that big black bastard, is it going to be slithering after me in my dreams?
Everything is okay, buddy. Come here.
Alex held out his hand, and Valtherion quickly came down from his flight and curled tightly around Alex’s lower arm.
What day is it? Day five?
It feels better to think of it as only 25 days left; at least, then, it feels like home is getting closer.
Alex got out of bed and stretched his aching muscles. He’d only gotten four hours of sleep, but that was more than the other nights of the training week. He’d been staying up later and later while working on his personal projects.
Thank you, Stats.
Sam shuffled on the other side of the room and sat up quickly, his eyes wide as he looked around the room. When they settled on Alex, he visibly calmed. The young man didn’t do well with loud sounds, similar to the Mana Spinners, so Alex just waved to him before moving to the kitchen.
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The lessons of his first training week continued to pass, with all three segments of his day now being held in Eura’s office.
The two instructors had seemed annoyed that they were not able to use the annex for training any longer, grumbling about petty maneuvering and egos. Eura seemed unbothered, maintaining his calm and stoic exterior around the other Masters; then, while the offices were empty except for Alex and Sam, he would relax and show a more energetic and friendly version of himself.
Alex made progress quickly, and he wondered if the System was helping him learn. Eura assured him that it was due to his stats and the fact that Alex had never done any kind of learning or training while his body was being heightened as much as it was at the moment.
Master Li moved Alex from solo to half-speed drills under his guidance. The main exercise involved the instructor shifting between different fighting stances. If he was standing still or retreating, Alex would use Lotus Roots, focusing on his base and patience. When Master Li moved forward aggressively, Alex had to transition to Flowing Water, redirecting the attacks while trying to stay out of his range.
Alex found the half-speed drills to be fun. There was interaction, and Master Li’s expert movements, even at half speed, required him to focus his attention and constantly be thinking. At the same time, his life wasn’t in danger, as if he were in a real fight, and he wasn’t stressed like he would be in a live sparring match.
He made rapid progress in developing his [Empowered Step] skill. The largest push was made from him practicing out in front of Eura’s office as he waited for his evening training to begin with Master Shen. As the martial master watched him practice, he made several small comments about the movement of Qi and how it was wrong. The older man gave Alex several tips on the flow of Qi, or mana as Alex thought of it, and how he could use it to enhance the Eight Petal Steps the two had been training.
Several more days passed to bring him to the end of his first week of training. With just 23 days left until the assault, Alex felt that he was slowly adjusting to the strenuous routine. It was unlike anything he’d experienced in his previous life. For a bit, he tried to imagine being stuck at the ad agency, dawn to dusk, working on projects and his reporting skills. He would surely lose his sanity there; but the difference was that the training didn’t feel like work. Alex was enjoying his progression. He enjoyed developing his body and his skills, and after the harrowing experience of running and ambushing others to fight for his life, Alex felt that his life had truly changed. Wherever he went after the Rift, he was certain that these skills would aid him and give him an edge.
As those days of the first week passed, Alex found his fondness for Sam growing. The teenager had a kind heart, and while he certainly had his scars from everything he’d been through, Alex was pleased to see that he wasn’t broken.
Sam spent time with Valtherion while Alex was training and it reminded him of how emotional support animals would help patients recover in a hospital. During the longer sessions, he could feel the teenager watching him at different parts of the day.
Sam also didn’t sit idle through the sessions. The older man with a thin frame and wispy beard visited frequently to work with Sam. To Alex, it looked like the two barely spoke, just sitting in silence with the occasional clipped sentence from the Elder.
Val seemed to be enjoying the time more than either Alex or Sam, though. The little flying pest had free roam of the Grand Pagoda’s upper floor. Eura had mentioned to all of his staff that the intelligent creature was not a threat and was to be treated as an Honored Guest. This allowed the mana wyrm to fly full speed through the corridors, though he’d been asked to do so at the ceiling level after running headfirst into a servant carrying linens. Additionally, when Eura had learned that Val ate Mana Stones to sustain himself, he’d asked Alex about it. Alex mentioned that he had stones from his time hunting and fleeing the other side of the Rift but was beginning to run low on the E-grade stones to feed to Val; soon, he would need to start dipping into the D Rank Mana Stones.
To Alex’s surprise, Eura encouraged this. He said that bonded companions were common in the wider worlds, as the power that could be shared between bonds gave most people an edge. By feeding Val Mana Stones above his rank, he’d grow faster and get closer to reaching his advancement.
He did warn that the growth might be a bit delayed in revealing itself. Just like stats that progress too rapidly, Valtherion’s accelerated growth through consuming higher-grade mana stones was not harmful in any way, but might be delayed due to the body needing to adjust.
Seriously? How much are these things worth? How many people can even get D Rank Mana Stones on Earth? They’ve got to be 3-5 times more expensive than the other ones, right?
“Mana? Where?”
God damn it, Val. Read the room! I don’t want you eating $5,000 dollars and then floating around like a drunken sky-eel. Ugh.
Alex took a moment of silence for his wallet and dreams of being rich. **
If it’s what he needs to advance, then I’ve got to start forking some of them over. Without your boost to mana and shared skill, I wouldn’t even get to make it out of here with the Mana Stones. You’re lucky I love you, little turd.
Alex asked for more information on advancements after he’d talked himself down off of that ledge.
Eura explained that classes were reserved by the System for fully sentient races. Beasts and creatures were unable to get classes, at least not until they reached a certain level of sapience. All creatures could advance their race. For humans and sapient creatures, this was done at the threshold to each Rank increase and prepared the body to accept more stats from an advanced class. For beasts, he explained it to be a bit more nebulous but generally around the same level range that they could be expected to advance.
He continued on to explain that most of the time, this was done by the creature experiencing life-and-death situations, hunting, and just generally surviving. If the beast lived long enough, it would eventually advance.
A large part of this was based on what the creature ate. If a wild wolf came across a particularly enriched plant or prey, then the wolf would grow more quickly in proportion to what it consumed. This was why Eura recommended Alex feed the D Rank Mana Stones to the wyrm. Since Valtherion was a mana-attuned creature, the higher density of mana meant that Val would grow and progress faster.
Eura must have seen the look of pain on Alex’s face and taken pity on him. The Sect Head offered to supply Val with one D Rank Mana Stone per day and two more E Rank Mana Stones. Alex was surprised, but he waved it away, stating that it was a small amount for the sect. He still encouraged Alex to give Val more of the D Rank stones, but said that he could consider the amount from the sect a livable food wage for the young mana wyrm.
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After the discussion on companion advancement, their conversation had turned to Alex’s own class advancement. Through the discussion, Eura made sure that Alex was devoting at least half of his attention to the [Mana Thread] shaping exercises that he’d been taught. Alex would sit on the large stone tile within Eura’s private garden while the sect head walked around the large open suite and explained concepts to him. Eura was just beginning to explain how classes worked within the System when they were interrupted.
The sliding door snapped open, and three figures stepped into the room. Their brisk pace and explosive interest was a contrast compared to what Alex had begun to expect from the quiet and elegant sect members. He glanced up from his seated position on the stone tile as a servant quickly bowed and announced, “Sect Head, this one presents Honored Elder Gu and his disciple.”
The servant barely finished before retreating as the two newcomers stepped forward. The older man’s round frame and red tinted face seemed stood out from the lithe warrior-like frames of the other high-ranking sect members Alex had seen. The younger man was wiry and wore the robes of a disciple while keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.
“This is him, then?” The Elder said, allowing his gaze to sweep over Alex before locking onto Eura.
Eura remained seated with his hands resting on his knees. He didn’t move or speak. Several long moments passed, and the silence grew louder and Alex unconsciously held his breath.
With deliberate calm, Eura stood and clasped his hands together. He turned and gave the Elder a slow and formal bow.
“Elder Gu,” the bald celestial man said. His tone was neutral and carried the formality Alex saw the sect head adopt in public settings. “You honor my office with your presence.”
The elder’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, he hesitated before returning the gesture. The bow was stiff and quick, but it was much deeper than the one that Eura had given.
Alex caught the way that Eura’s lip curled ever so slightly.
“We have concerns,” Elder Gu said as he straightened again. “It seems an outsider has been granted training with Masters and even the Sect Head himself. Surely such resources could be better spent on our own disciples.”
Eura tilted his head slightly. “The sect’s resources are mine to allocate as I see fit.”
The elder’s face darkened. But other than taking a measured step toward the round man, Eura didn’t react. “I do not act without thought, Elder. There is a debt to be paid and much that the sect gain gain in this scenario. If you feel I have made a poor decision, you are free to discuss this with the Council.”
The Elder’s disciple shifted, and Alex saw as his eyes rose and darted between the two senior sect members.
Elder Gu opened and closed his mouth before clenching his fists at his side. “Of course, Sect Head,” he finally said. “We trust your judgement.”
Eura gave a slight nod. “I’m glad to hear it. You may leave.”
Without another word, the Elder bowed, turned, and left the room with his disciple close behind. The door slid shut behind them and the tension in the room seemed to dissolve.
Eura sighed and rubbed his temples with the thumb and middle finger of one hand.
Alex let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “What was that about? Well- obviously that was about me. But, why do they care so much?”
Eura’s expression had softened when he removed the hand from his face. “This is a highly unusual case, it is not surprising to me that the Council is upset about my use of resources. However, the Council grew used to their authority while I was gone. It will take time for them to remember their place.”
“You didn’t even raise your voice and you had him out the door in less than five minutes.”
“The loudest person in the room is often not the most powerful.” Eura gave a tired smile.
Alex found the situation interesting and decided to press Eura for more information and his thoughts on the matter. The talk returned to their debate of power and simply took what one could, if they could. Eura went into some more complex angles of the same discussion, talking about how easy it could be to abandon one’s ideals or morals when it suited them. Eura said that it was one of the easiest things to justify, and he believed it should only be done in the most dire of circumstances. A situation where one is forced to sacrifice their morals for the greater good rather than a personal desire or advancement.
Their lesson ran over normal time, and Alex waved Sam over to sit with them as the conversation shifted to some brief stories of Earth. Eura was interested in leaders and those who had gained or used power, which led to some darker stories of leaders from Earth who committed atrocities in the name of bettering the human race. Eura was a great listener and seemed genuinely interested in leaders and their people’s experiences. He said that before his world was split into the Rift, they had tales of heroes and myth, but it didn’t have detailed histories and such structured schooling.
That answer had caused Alex to laugh and point out that their histories likely were only so accurate. Most of what was recorded was written by a person who had some sort of agenda, whether that be to paint their own country in a certain light or get their pockets lined by someone who had an agenda of their own.
“Stories of war are written by the victors,” Eura said while nodding.
Alex had to agree. Feeling like Eura’s profound words reminded him of a saying he’d heard before on Earth.
Alex and Sam left Eura’s study as the evening light painted the sky orange. They descended the levels of the Grand Pagoda and walked through the courtyard that led out of the building.
Yawning, Alex stopped as he looked at Sam, who seemed to hesitate at the steps.
Is it the dark?
“What’s wrong?”
Sam opened his mouth, but no words came out. After a moment, he shook his head and walked down the stairs to follow after Alex.
I have no idea if I should push him to speak up or let him have more time to find his own confidence.
As they walked down the stone path leading away from the Pagoda, Sam kept glancing at Alex before looking away.
After the third time, Alex stopped walking and sent a [Mana Thread] reaching out to Sam, and when his own clumsy tendril connected to communicate, Alex sent him feelings of comfort and confidence.
It had been through observing him and Val interact that Alex had noted the two communicating this way. It was exactly how Alex had learned to communicate with the Mana Spinners, and Sam seemed to feel a lot more comfortable with this mind-to-mind sort of communication rather than verbal exchanges. The same way that the spiders had been wary and skittish around loud noises, Sam was too. It had been a no-brainer for Alex then, and he demonstrated with his own mana how to allow them to connect and communicate so that they could send emotions and thoughts back and forth rather than normal words.
Most of the time,, Sam was still unable, or unwilling, to communicate through the link of mana. But he responded better to Alex talking this way, so Alex was often willing to have their one sided conversations this way.
So, Alex was startled when he received an actual answer to his question.
“Something on your mind?” Alex asked through the mana link.
Sam fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve, then pointed toward the back of the Pagoda. He held eye contact with Alex before looking in the direction as well.
“Can we go there?” Sam sent through the link with his thoughts.
“I- uhm, yeah. Of course. You just want to go that way?”
Sam nodded eagerly, some of the tension leaving his posture.
“Alright, lead on, then.”
They followed a narrower path that curved around the building. The pristine gardens gave way to more practical spaces. Alex noted sheds and covered storage areas, work yards and several rows of more tightly spaced, small homes.
The buildings were simple and functional, lacking any of the ornate decorations that adorned the Pagoda and many of the houses on the main streets of Tianluo.
Pretty different back here…
Alex looked around quietly as he followed Sam.
A woman hanging laundry noticed them first. Her eyes widened at the sight of Sam before darting nervously to Alex. She gripped a towel that hung from her belt and wiped her hands on it. She whispered something to another servant, who disappeared quickly into the building behind them.
More servants emerged from their homes, keeping a cautious distance. They watched Alex with wary expressions until Sam made his way directly to a small wooden bench and sat down. The teenager waved at a few of those watching, which seemed to spur them into motion.
An elderly man with a limp approached first. “Samuel?” he asked quietly. “Is- is everything okay? We heard about Merchant Master Jing…”
Sam nodded and gestured at the bench seat next to him. As the servant complied, he looked at Alex with uncertainty. Seeing the look, Sam smiled again and patted his leg gently.
Through his left eye, Alex saw Sam’s hand begin to glow. It shifted from blue to a white that had a tint of green to it. He watched in fascination as the man’s expression relaxed and he let out a shaky breath.
Gradually, more servants approached, each bearing their own ailments. Some had burns, and others had sprains or chronic aches. Sam treated them all, greeting each of those that approached with a sense of confidence Alex hadn’t seen from him.
“Samuel,” a middle-aged woman whispered when she sat down. She touched his arm lightly before he could heal her. “Your mana… if you use too much mana-”
Sam was already shaking his head. He nodded at her encouragingly before pointing with his free hand to Alex.
Alex pieced it together then, watching the grateful interaction with the other servants and the way that they all thanked Sam profusely. The old merchant must have forbidden Sam to use his healing like this. So, Sam had done it anyway as a small act of defiance and desire to help others.
The people here seemed to know the danger Sam was putting himself in and didn’t want him to push too far.
An hour passed and Alex noticed Sam’s movements becoming sluggish. When the teen’s shoulders drooped and Alex saw the mana around his hand flicker, he knew that he must be close to mana fatigue.
“That’s enough,” Alex said firmly. He stepped forward to support Sam as he swayed in his seat. “Time to rest.”
The servants bowed deeply, murmuring quiet thanks as Alex helped Sam walk. Valtherion chirped softly and nuzzled Sam as they moved.
As they made their way back to their assigned home, Alex let Sam lean his weight against his shoulder, and he felt a surge of respect for the teenager. Despite everything he’d been through, one of Sam’s first instinct upon gaining freedom was to help others.
He didn’t ask for anything in return and pushed himself almost to the point of passing out.
They returned without any further complications, and Sam quietly thanked Alex before going to the cot in their room and falling asleep instantly. Alex looked around before deciding to prepare a bath for himself in the magical tub and practice his mana-shaping exercises while he soaked.
The next several days progressed the same. Alex made quick progress on his martial foundation at the direction of Master Shen and Master Li while he made slower but steady progress in his magical training with Eura.
Soon, he began to work on evasion techniques with Master Li that were specifically made to work well with Flowing Water and continued to get advice from Master Shen on how to incorporate his movement abilities with the Eight Petal Steps.